This invention relates generally to fireplace boilers and to heating systems for homes and other buildings which employ such boilers.
The general concept of a fireplace boiler is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,576,899 issued to John B. Clanton on Mar. 16, 1926 discloses a coiled water pipe adapted for disposition in a fireplace for the purpose of absorbing heat from a fire to heat water therein, which water is, in turn, conveyed directly to hot water registers or radiators located throughout a house, remote from the fireplace. A series of the baffle plates is also disclosed which are adapted to divert heat from the fire, across the coiled water pipe, which would otherwise escape up the chimney.
The above-described boiler does not contain means for supporting the fire thereon. Moreover, it is complicated by the use of baffle plates to divert heat across the coils, which coils are not disposed in the direct line of heat from the fire. Another problem with such a fireplace boiler is that it is impractical to rely entirely upon the same to heat the modern home, especially where such homes are usually equipped with thermostatically controlled gas, oil or coal fired or electrically heated hot water furnace boilers. Homeowners rarely find it convenient to tend a fire in the fireplace on a continuous basis, even in the most bitter cold weather, a necessary activity where heat for the home depends entirely upon a fireplace boiler system.
However, we have found that, when the fireplace is in use, it is entirely practical and highly desirable from an energy savings standpoint to utilize heat generated in the fireplace to supplement or contribute to the heat generated in the main home heating system, including the conventional boiler furnace employed therein. In fact, we have developed a fireplace boiler and heating system which can readily heat the entire home by itself when the fireplace is operative so that little or no fuel is consumed by the furnace from its ordinary commercial energy source. The result is a substantial energy savings to the homeowner over the winter months, which is highly desirable not only in terms of costs to the homeowner, but also in terms of energy savings to the nation in general.
Our invention substantially overcomes these and other difficulties encountered in prior art fireplace boilers and provides an efficient and practical auxiliary heating system for the home and other buildings.